1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging systems for the containment of small articles for sale, and finds its particular utilization in packages which are designed to display the contents and, in particular, to display the contents in a pleasing and artistic way. Many types of products are presently sold in display packages. Typical among them are toys, dolls, sporting goods items, hardware items and other general merchandise where having a display window communicates more to the potential purchaser about the product and its use than two-dimensional renderings printed on the outside of the carton. The present invention is disclosed herein with respect to packaging for dolls although features of the invention to be described herein lend themselves to use with numerous other products.
2. Background
Dolls, particularly those intended for collectors, have long been sold in display type packages so that the customer can see the actual doll that is in the package and how it is attired. Many of these products, including the famous Barbie Doll(copyright), often comprise collections of unique, one of a kind objects or dolls such that seeing the actual doll itself without opening the box contributes greatly to sales. Because such dolls in their packages pass through many hands from the location of manufacture to the point of sale, it is necessary to anchor the doll securely in the package so that it is not damaged during shipment or, for that matter, while being displayed at the retail level. Thus, it has been necessary to provide a means for securely attaching the doll, or other object, firmly to the backing of the package. Typically, this is being done today by securing the object in the package with a plurality of twist-tie wires extending around portions of the object and through apertures in the back of the package were securement is obtained by twisting the ends of the wires together, firmly grasping the object inside. In some instances, rather than or in addition to having apertures in the back of the package, the doll or other object is secured to a separate insert card, the dimensions of which conform in general to the internal dimensions of the package itself and, after securement, the doll and insert card are placed inside the package.
While these twist-tie securement schemes have successfully achieved the principal objective of securely mounting an object in a package to obviate damage or injury to the object during shipping and handling, these schemes suffer from a number of shortcomings as well. Each twist-tie has a finite cost, albeit small, yet when the object is finally removed from the package, the twist-ties are removed and become loose objects. On those products, which are sold to small children, for example, these small objects become a safety hazard such that many toy products require a warning label on the package that there are objects in the package which if swallowed, for example, could present a threat of injury or harm to small children. These tie-down schemes are also unattractive. After a doll is removed from such a package, the package is essentially of no further use other than to merely house the original contents, rather than to display it in its original manner, unless one reinstalls the twist-ties. The twist-ties which extend through the insert card or through the back of the package present a condition where they can become dislodged or unfastened somewhere in the shipping or handling process or even on a shelf where they are stored or displayed for sale. Also, and of particular interest with regard to collectible items, if the installer overly tightens the twist-tie during the securement process, it can blemish or scar the object and can thereby significantly diminish its collectible value.
An additional shortcoming of the packaging schemes used to date is in the area of decoration/ornamentation. Display type packages (i.e., those which display the contents) frequently employ background decoration complimentary to the style of the object displayed to thereby present a pleasing countenance for the object being sold. A designer""s freedom to provide ornamentation is somewhat limited as compared to the present invention in that the present securement system described herein requires that some pre-thought be given to where (on either the slideable insert backing or the backing of the box itself to locate the apertures to accommodate the twist-ties. In mass produced packaging systems, the variety of locations of the apertures which accommodate the twist-ties must be limited. If a different pose for the object displayed is desired, the apertures must be relocated. Thus, for a particular doll, for example, to display in a particular pose, the locations of the apertures for the twist-ties will be pre-selected according to the pose chosen. The artist doing the ornamentation of the display box can then decide what type of background display goes either on the insert or on the inside of the box. Having made this decision, multiple copies of that box configuration will be produced and, while the design and ornamentation could be changed from product to product, the obvious changes necessary for each type of pose for a given doll limits the extent of the artist""s freedom to provide varying ornamentation. Finally, because of this configuration of packaging, the doll itself must be secured in contact with the back of the box or the slideable insert and a planar surface or surfaces provide a definite limitation in package configuration, decoration and overall aesthetic appeal.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a packaging system in which the doll or other object is held firmly in place inside a carton by a selected set of posts which carry snap clamps, preferably of a xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d-shaped configuration, which are in turn affixed via the posts to a backing plate. The backing plate as well as the post and clamps are preferably constructed of a transparent material and is slideably inserted into the carton. The corners of the backing plate are provided with extensions which serve the purpose of firmly registering the backing plate inside the box, irrespective of the box""s configuration. Thus, non-planar backing plates can be utilized as well as flat plates. In addition, the utilization of a transparent material for the backing plate and anchoring members allows the packaging designer a greater freedom of choice in display ornamentation in that the designer is not restricted by the shape of the containment system. Thus, the same shape of backing plate and securement means can be used for many different dolls having many different background decoration modes. Also, eliminating the twist-ties eliminates a possible children""s health or choking hazard. In addition, the snap-in packaging system provides a way in which the doll, or the like, can be replaced in the box for display and/or storage; or the backing plate, once removed from the box, can be used as a stand-alone display stand for collectible items.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved display packaging system which has a secure means of packaging a doll, or the like, so that it is not loose in the package, thereby eliminating potential harm to the object during shipping and handling, yet allowing improved aesthetics in the display.
Moreover, it is an object of this invention to provide a reusable securement system for dolls and other collectibles such that they can be repositioned in the package or displayed outside the packaging utilizing the same securement system in which the dolls were originally packaged.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide the backing system with sufficient lateral support means to adequately and firmly hold the attached doll and the backing plate inside the package so that it does not move about while shipping and handling and which strengthens the carton. These positioning arms or extensions of the backing plate likewise form a means of providing a stand so that the doll, or the like, can be reinserted in the securement means and/or displayed for view.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.